Catalogo de Investigaciones 2018-2019

122 ESCUELA DE ARQUITECTURA How Architecture can Promote Wellness or a Healthy Lifestyle? Human inactivity and sedentary lifestyle, due to a myriad of social, economic, technological, gastronomical and environmental factors, has produced a rise in obesity and generalized lack of health in many of our urban and suburban populations. While many of these factors are not architectural in nature, traditional building design is partly to blame and can further contribute to the growing problem. The objective of this research is to find different ways in which physical activity and a means to a healthier lifestyle can promote wellness and a healthy lifestyle within building design without undermining accessibility or comfort. It is widely believed that architecture, due to its static nature, promotes sedentary and potentially harmful lifestyles. Working, educational and living environments provide for static and diminished physical activity in favor of continuity of work and productivity. Building occupants are encouraged, if not forced, to remain static for long hours while in highly structured working and study schedules, and access to home based technology for leisure is constantly evolving pursuant to a static captive audience. Architecture must address these issues with careful analysis and implementation of universal design criteria geared towards better well-being and a healthier, more active lifestyle that includes walking, use of stairs, exercise, and general physical activity at various degrees to accommodate a wide variety of user abilities and conditions. kevin merced rivera bachillerato en arquitectura mentor: arq. pedro a. rosario, arq. raúl torres y arq. manuel de lemos wellness healthy lifestyle building design accessibility universal design